


Fragments

by BrandyVorta (GhostySoldier)



Category: Milo Murphy's Law
Genre: I guess this counts as a roleswap AU?, M/M, Prolonged grief, contains an original character who is important to the story, except instead of everyone being swapped it's just two characters, pining for a lost loved one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-20 12:14:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15534012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostySoldier/pseuds/BrandyVorta
Summary: In an alternate timeline, Anthony Mahlson heeded Daniel Block's order to go on without him. Daniel was killed, leaving Anthony as the survivor of the pair. He took up the mantle as the Bureau's leader once more, and continued to lead them long after they successfully prevented the Mississippi Purchase. This will be a collection of small, canon-divergent moments, where instead of Mr. Block, Cavendish and Dakota answer to Mr. Mahlson for their missions.





	1. Time Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You were given the most inconsequential mission possible: to save the pistachio. A green nut! Only because our boss’s old partner liked them when he was a kid before they became extinct."

Cavendish’s protest rang clear in the room, as the second pair of Brick and Savannah blocked their way into the limo. “Wait, we’re time travel agents just like you! Why do we not get to--”

He was swiftly cut off by Brick, who held up a small communicator as he began to climb back into the limo. “Look, we don’t have time to explain this to you again. Talk to the boss.” He carelessly tossed the device toward Cavendish, who caught it just in time for the transmission to patch through.

The face that appeared on the screen was that of a strong-chinned man, with scruffy brown hair and a signature black jacket. Weary grey eyes peered at Cavendish, brows creasing in confusion. “Cavendish? What do you need?” The man asked, voice low and soft. His accent was unmistakably that of a Kiwi. There was nary a hint of anger or frustration in his tone, not an inkling of hatred in his eyes. Just exhausted eyes and a kind tone.

Seeing how _tired_ their boss seemed gave Cavendish pause. Was this really worth troubling him? He had already gotten this far, though, so he decided to see his inquiry through. “Mr. Mahlson, sir... I was, erm, hoping to get a different assignment. One more saving-the-world based and less... _nut_ related.”

He grimaced, regretting his question the moment Mr. Mahlson’s expression shifted. His eyes widened for a moment, before he averted his gaze from the screen, brows knitting together. The man seemed almost... _hurt_ by the request. Fearing he had struck a nerve, Cavendish already began to form an apology in his throat before their boss began to speak again, still not meeting his eyes.

“I’m... sorry, Cavendish. But I’m afraid that won’t be possible. The pistachios... I know it might not seem important to you, but it is. They have to be preserved... it’s what he would have wanted. I promise, as soon as their extinction is prevented, I’ll see to it that you get a better assignment.”

Mr. Mahlson took in a deep breath, reluctantly meeting Cavendish’s concerned gaze. “I know you can manage it. I have faith in you. Just... keep trying, alright? You’ll get it eventually. Now, off to work, you two.” He flashed him a drained smile, before cutting off the connection. The screen went dark, and Brick and Savannah’s limousine jumped into the time stream, leaving Cavendish and Dakota in the empty, silent room.

Cavendish didn’t say a word, staring at the communicator even though their boss had already hung up. His mind was still ticking from the exchange. What had their boss meant, ‘ _it’s what he would have wanted_ ’? Who was ‘he’? After a moment, Dakota regarded his partner, resting a hand on his shoulder and snapping him out of his thoughts. “You heard the boss... let’s go save some pistachios. Back to the docks.”

Reluctantly pocketing the communicator, Cavendish sighed and nodded. “I suppose you’re right, Dakota. To the docks it is.”


	2. We're Going To The Zoo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cavendish and Dakota receive their mission from Mr. Mahlson in the photo booth. Cavendish recalls even more, how tired and broken their boss seems to be.

“The password is ‘password’?” Cavendish inquired with a raised eyebrow, beginning to rethink the amount of common sense his partner had. Dakota simply smiled, swallowing the bit of pretzel in his mouth. They were inside a photo booth, waiting to be patched in to the Bureau, with the console cleverly disguised so that nobody but a time agent would suspect its inter-temporal communication abilities. Or, so Cavendish had  _ thought. _

“Nah, it’s Drowssap backwards!”

“Drowssap?” Cavendish’s eyes narrowed and he stared at Dakota. Was he being serious right now?

Dakota nodded with that simple smile of his, and he gladly explained, “Yeah, Drowssap is my mother’s maiden name.”

“Ah.”

“And it’s backwards, so, y’know, no one will guess it.”

Cavendish’s voice was dry with sarcasm as he replied, “No one will guess that.”

The sarcasm seemed to have completely flown over Dakota’s head, as his grin became wider and he made a little flourishing gesture with his fingers. “Yeah,  _ security!” _

Cavendish rolled his eyes. “Well done.”

At last, their wait was over. Their boss, Mr. Mahlson, appeared on the screen, looking just as exhausted as he always did. He put up a smile, as he always did, but it seemed like this was one of those days where his heart wasn’t quite in it. The smile didn’t reach those tired grey eyes. Cavendish’s brows creased slightly in concern, but he didn’t say a word. Mr. Mahlson would never admit it if he was in distress.

“Ah, Dakota. Cavendish. It’s good to see you this morning. Though I suppose it’s almost afternoon where you are?” He asked with a quirked eyebrow. It was merely a rhetorical question, however, as Mr. Mahlson quickly got down to business. “I have today’s pistachio protecting coordinates for you. You’ll be protecting a cart, so try to keep an eye on those wheels.”

He pressed a button on his side of the communication, and where the photos would usually print out, a strip of paper with the needed coordinates came out. Dakota took the paper, schooling his expression into one of calm acceptance. It always unsettled Cavendish when Dakota’s expression shifted from his usual carefree smile, and to top it off, he only ever seemed this way with their boss.

Mr. Mahlson gazed at the pair through the screen, his smile becoming just a tad more genuine. “I have complete confidence in your abilities to succeed in this assignment. You’ll manage it this time, I’m sure of it... Good luck out there.”

Before Cavendish could even formulate a response, their boss hung up, leaving the screen blank before them. He hated how sure the man always seemed that they’d succeed. It made their failures even harder to swallow. Every time they reported back with a failed pistachio mission, Mr. Mahlson always gained an expression that could only be described as that of a kicked puppy, causing guilt to stew in the pit of Cavendish’s stomach. He could only hope that this time would be different. If only that Murphy kid wasn't thwarting their mission...

He barely registered Dakota’s cheerful statement about their destination: the zoo. Dakota broke into a little song for it, and for once, Cavendish wasn’t annoyed when his partner threw his arms out, nearly whacking him in the face. He was too preoccupied in making sure that this time they would not fail. He could not let that Milo Murphy hurt their boss’s heart any more.


End file.
